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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Technology
Ashifa Kassam European community affairs correspondent

Deus in machina: Swiss church installs AI-powered Jesus

The booth at Peter's chapel where people are invited to converse with an AI-powered Jesus
People visiting the booth were advised not to disclose any personal information. Photograph: Peter Diem/Lukasgesellschaft

The small, unadorned church has long ranked as the oldest in the Swiss city of Lucerne. But Peter’s chapel has become synonymous with all that is new after it installed an artificial intelligence-powered Jesus capable of dialoguing in 100 different languages.

“It was really an experiment,” said Marco Schmid, a theologian with the Peterskapelle church. “We wanted to see and understand how people react to an AI Jesus. What would they talk with him about? Would there be interest in talking to him? We’re probably pioneers in this.”

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